*=Video
^=Music
All Caps=Recommended
Hover mouse over screenshots for commentary.
May 2013
 |  Your home, before you become a luchador. |  Your town. |
|---|---|---|
 Probably the best stained glass in a church, ever. |  You have been given a mask and become a luchador! |  |
 In addition to finding items, you can buy a limited supply of some as well. |  Metroid statues. You can also see those red blocks. They can only be destroyed once you get the uppercut move. |  A chozo statue from the early Metroid games. I was actually surprised to see this in the game because it is identical to the iconic statues found in the Nintendo Metroid games. Like in Metroid, you destroy the ball to get a new move. |
 |  |  Minecraft reference . . . |
 Grumpy cat. |  Me Gusta meme. |  Part of the training gym. Notice the variety of posters, including one for Castle Crashers. |
 I'm not sure what this poster is referencing. |  A reference to the development team's earlier game, Mutant Blobs Attack. |  Wreck it Ralph. |
 Donkey Kong. |  |  Don't. Wake. Up. The dog. . . |
 |  |  You kill this boss the same way you kill bowser in the original Super Mario Bros, by touching an ax that destroys a bridge over some lava. |
 A mini-boss, Flame Face. I just love his character design! |  After destroying a few statues . . . |  |
 The agave fields by your home. |  You gain the ability to turn into a chicken. |  |
 Day of the Dead mode, with a reference to Strong Bad. |  |  A secret QR code. I actually don't know what it leads to because I don't have a smart phone. |
 I've put together an entire heart, which gives me more health! |  That is a gutsy chicken . . . |  |
 The ol' "three-armed skeleton with swords" enemy. |  |  |
 Calaca with the captured president's daughter, your character's girlfriend. |  An old game controller. |  A jaguar boss just keeps saying cat puns after you beat him. |
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 |  I completed a skull for more stamina! |  Yes, I am a chicken. And capable of fitting in small spaces! |
 Only certain moves will damage enemies surrounded by particular colors. |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  Calaca is meaner than he looked! |  The final boss is actually pretty hard. |
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 |  An homage to Pro Wrestling on the NES. You don't really beat the game unless you find all of the secret mask parts, which I had not done the first time. |  |
 |  After you get the Pollo Power, you can go back to the start and find a small hidden passageway in the basement of your home. You can only fit into the huge maze only if you are a chicken. . . |  And the secret maze area looks like . . . a giant chicken on your map! |
 The same screen in regular mode and in Day of the Dead mode (next screenshot). |  |  Zelda reference. |
 Another classic Zelda reference. |  |  |
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 A chicken reunion. |  |  |
 The character from Journey, a critically-lauded PS3 game. |  Me going into the final boss' lair. |  |
 |  |  Juan vs. Calaca! |
 |  I have all of the mask pieces! And can get the true ending! |  |
 Quite the combo . . . |  The first time you face Calaca. |  |
 Just like Bowser . . . |  |  |
 |  Juan vs. FlameFace! |  It DOES feel exploitable, but the game world is so well designed that everything works out well and is still fun. |
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 Obligatory platinum trophy screenshot. |
Guacamelee!
This PS Vita game (also on PS3 and PS4) is an "open-world brawler," which isn't a real genre but that's how the small development team classifies their game. Similar to Metroid or Castlevania, most of the world is accessible from the start except that you need additional powers to reach certain areas. The game also has a mechanic where you switch between the regular world and the world of the dead, much like Zelda: A Link to the Past on SNES. You are a luchador in Mexico, and your girlfriend is kidnapped by the notorious Calaca. You must defeat his minions and get her back!
The game involves punching, grabbing, throwing, and other Nacho-Libre-style moves. There are power-ups along the way, such as more health, more stamina, and more moves. For example, you gain the ability to uppercut, wall jump, and (of course) the ability to turn into a chicken. The game also has a great sense of humor, with constant homages to other games and internet memes. I thoroughly enjoyed this game and look forward to the next game from these developers - Severed!